Reports in New Zealand indicate that plans are already underway to stage a ticker-tape parade for the All Blacks in Auckland next week.

The All Blacks lifted a nation when they beat the Wallabies in last Sunday’s semi-final. While their coaches and players are talking up their final opponents and shunning those that would suggest that they have one collective hand on the Webb Ellis Cup, preparations for the post-match victory lap have already begun.

According to The New Zealand Herald, Auckland Council chiefs and the New Zealand Rugby Union have been in talks to organise a ticker-tape parade up Queen Street on Wednesday or Thursday next week. Some of the locals feel this is presumptuous, while others are worried that it is simply tempting fate.

The newspaper reports that those involved in the staging of such a parade have been reluctant to comment, with NZRU spokeswoman Julie Clausen stressing that the focus is on winning the competition and that all talk of victory parades is premature.

It has been confirmed that a celebratory event will be staged regardless of Sunday’s result. Organisers of the Labour Day festival, Kiwi Day Out, say this is not a pre-emptive party for All Black success, but rather a celebration of all teams in the World Cup.